Blow-out preventer



P 1936. A. J. PENICK El AL 2,054,336

BLOW-OUT PREVENTER Filed Jan. 31, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I %%-W M,

Gum/M 4 Sept- 1936- A. J. PENICK ET AL 2,054,336

BLOW-OUT PREVENTER Filed Jan. 31, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 14 a2 /7 7 /2. mH 30 20/012 13 I5 I o 6 d H Snot HIM 18 amm @424 I8 f Patented Sept. 15,193

UNITED STATES BLOW-OUT PBEVENTEB.

Arthur J. Penlck and Kirby 'r. Penlck,

.Houston, Tex.

Application January 31, 1935, Serial No. 4,258

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a blow out preventer.

An object of the invention is to provide a blow out preventerparticularly adapted for use in carrying on drilling operations in thepresence of gas pressure in the well and to prevent the escape of oil orgas under pressure from the well; the apparatus is also useful when itis desired to retain the drilling fluid or other fluid in the well underpressure.

The invention also comprehends a novel type of packing unit with novelmeans for securing the unit in place. i

This invention also embodies certain improvements over that type ofcombination casing head 15 and blow out preventer disclosed in ourco-pending application, filed in the United States Patent Offlce on June26, 1933, under Serial No. 677,656.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention has particularrelation to certain novel "2 features of construction, operation, andarrange ment of parts, an example of which is given in thisspecification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

Figure I shows a vertical sectional view of the 25 I apparatus.

Figure 2 shows a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the packing ofthe pressure head. -Figure- 3 shows a transverse sectional view shownpartly broken away, and

Figure 4 shows a side view of the pressure head as located in the seatof a modified form of the casing head. Referring now more particularlyto the drawings wherein line numerals of reference designate 5 the sameparts in each of the figures, the numeral I designates a well casinghaving the casing head 2 secured to the upper end thereof. The casinghead is provided with an inside downwardly tapering seat 3 and has thelateral flow- 40 lines 4, 4, leading therefrom beneath said seat throughwhich the fluid in the well may be led oil, or fluid under pressm'e maybe forced into the well as desired.

At its upper end, the casing head has the tu- 15 bular upward extension5' which is internally threaded to receive the pipe 6 to which theChristmas tree or other flow connections may be connected. Above theseat 3 the casing head has the radial cylinders 1, whose outer ends maybe closed by the caps 8, which are screwed therein and which areprovided with the stuffing boxes 9. Cylindrical dogs ID are mounted insaid cylinders and are attached to the inner ends of the rods I I whichwork outwardly through the correspond- 56 ing stuflmg boxes. Between thecaps 8 and the corresponding dogs ID are the coil springs l2 whichsurround the corresponding rods II and which normally act to hold saiddogs in their inward positions.

Pivoted to the outer ends of the rods II are the 5 cams l3 having thehandles M. The handles M may be moved outwardly and thereupon the camswill operate against the outer faces of the stuffing boxes to pull thedogs l0 outwardly, placing the springs I2 under compression when saidhandles 10 are moved inwardly to the position shown, to release the camsfrom said faces, the springs I2 will operate to force the dogs inwardlyinto active position. The inner ends of the dogs have the transversedownwardly facing shoulder l5, and above said shoulders have thedownwardly and inwardly converging faces ii.

In the form shown in Figure 4, the casing head 2' has the insidedownwardly converging seat 3, but does not have the upward extension 5,or the pipe 6 connected thereto, but above the seat 3 has the upwardlyand outwardly flared face l1. There is a packing unit, or assembly,formed of arcuate confronting segments indicated generally in Figures 3and 4 by the numerals l8, I8. Each segment is composed of an arcuatemetallic anchor l9, and an arcuate packing is secured to the under sideof said anchor. The anchors I! are hinged together at one side by thehinge-plate 20, whose ends are fitted into slots 2| at adjacent ends ofthe anchors and pinned therein by the pins 22. At the opposite side ofthe packing unit, there is the latch 23, hook-like in form, one end ofwhich is pivoted in the slot 24 in one of said anchors, and whose hookend is adapted to engage a pin 25 extending through the slot 26 of theadiacent end of the other anchor. Said hook is maintained in engagingposition by means of a flat spring 21 which is attached to the latch andwhich bears against the opposing wall of the slot 24. The packing unitis so shaped that when latched around the drill stem or other pipe 28,it will completely surround said inner pipe and the outer surface of thepacking I9 is tapered to conform to the shape of and to fit within theseat 3. Embedded within the material of the packing IQ of each segment,there is a rigid reinforcing member 29 preferably formed of metal and ofhollow cage-like construction and upstanding from the reinforcing memberof each segment are the anchor rods 30, 30, which extend up through theanchors I9 above and whose upper ends are threaded to receive the nuts3| whereby the packing may be maintained in place. In case the packingshould become worn so as not to form I a tight fit within the seat 3,the nuts 3| may be tightened up to draw up the reinforcing members 29 tothus eflect the expansion of the corresponding packing I9 so that'atight fit will be secured between the packing and the seat 3. As shown,the lower end of the packing presents an annular flat face and is flaredoutwardly and inwardly as shown in Figure 2 so that the lower end of thepacking'will be compressed when seated in the seat 3 around the pipe 28to form a very tight fit.

The segments I8 have the handles 32, by means of which the packing unitmay be handled.

The upper end of the anchors I! of the pack- I ing unit is reducedforming an annular external shoulder 33, and beneath said shoulder theanchors are upwardly and outwardly beveled forming the face 34.

The casing head 2 will usually be located beneath the derrick floor andwhen, for any reason, it may be desired to seat the packing unit in thecasing head, the segments of the packing unit may be swung open and thenclosed around the inner pipe or tubing 28 above the derrick floor andlatched and the inner pipe then lowered and the packing unit will becarried downwardly into the casing head and seated therein with thepacking seated securely in the seat 3 and completely closing the spacebetween the inner pipe or tubing 28 and the casing head.

As the packing unit is lowered, the beveled face 34 will engage thebeveled face It of the dogs l0 and force said dogs outwardly and whenthe shoulders 33 pass beneath the shoulders IS, the springs I2 willforce said dogs inwardly and the shoulders I5 will engage over theshoulders 33 and lock the packing unit in place. When the form shown inFigure 1 is used, pipe It will guide the-packing unit downwardly intoposition, and when the form shown in Figure 4 is employed, the upwardlyflared face I! will act as a guide for the packing unit.

With the packing unit seated in place in the packing head, the innerpipe or tubing 28 may be further lowered until the coupling 35 thereoflands on the packing unit and said unit will then serve as a hanger forthe tubing and the Christmas tree may be connected to the tubing.

When it is desired to remove the packing unit, the handles H may beswung outwardly to withdraw the dogs l0 into their outer or inactiveposition to release the shoulders l5 from the shoulders 33, and the unitmay then be readily withdrawn.

The drawings and description disclose what is now considered to be apreferred form of the invention by way of illustration only, while thebroad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A blowout preventer comprising a casing head having an inside seat"and having an approximately radial cylinder above the seat, a dog inthe cylinder movable into inner or active position and into outer, orinactive position, a pressure head adapted to surround an inner pipe andshaped to fit said seat, means on the pressure head engageable with thedog to lock the pressure head on the seat; yieldable means normallyholding the dog in said active position, and handles having cam facesoperative against, the outer ends of the cylinders for manually movingthe dog into outer or inactive. position to release and permit theremoval of the pressure head.

beneath the cylinder, a dog movable in the cyl-,

inder, a pressure head shaped to surround a pipe through the casingheadand to fit onto said seat,

said dog and pressure head having means adapted to interlock to maintainthe pressure head on the seat, a yieldable member arranged to actagainst the dog to maintain said interlocking means in interlockingposition, a handle operatively connected with the dog and provided witha cam face arranged to bear against the outer end of the cylinderwhereby the dog may be moved to inactive, or retracted position by anappropriate movement of the handle.

3. A blowout preventer comprising a casing head having a radial cylinderand an inside seat beneath said cylinder, a dog movably mounted in thecylinder and whose inner end is formed with a transverse downwardlyfacing shoulder, a pressure head shaped to surround an inner pipe in thecasing head and to fit said seat, said pressure head having an externalupwardly facing shoulder, 8, yieldable member normally holding the dogin inner or active position with its shoulder in engagement with theshoulder of the pressure head, and means for retracting the dog and forlooking it in retracted position, said retracting means comprising ahandle connected to the dog and having a cam face which bears againstthe outer end of the cylinder, and which is operative to retract the dogupon an appropriate movement of the handle.

4. A blowout preventer comprising a casing head having a radial guideand an inside seat beneath the guide, a pressure head shaped to surrounda pipe through the casing head and to fit into said seat, a lockingdevice movable in the guide, said locking device and pressure head hav-"ing means adapted to interlock to maintain the pressure head on theseat, a yieldable member arranged to act against the locking device tomaintain said interlocking means in interlocking relation, a handleoperatively connected with the locking device and provided with a camface arranged to bear against the outer end of the guide whereby thelocking device may be moved to inactive or retracted position by anappropriate movement of the handle.

5. A blowout preventer comprising a casing head having a radial guideand an inside seat beneath the guide, a pressure head shaped to surrounda pipe through the casing head and to fit into said seat, a lockingdevice movable in the guide, said locking device and pressure headhaving means adapted to interlock to maintain the pressure head on theseat, a yieldable member arranged .to act against the locking device tomaintain said interlocking means in interlocking relation, a handleoperatively connected with the locking device and provided with a camface arranged to bear against the outer end of the guide whereby thelocking device may be moved to inactive or retracted position by anappropriate movement of the handle, and means for preventing the escapeof fluid from the well through said guide. I

ARTHUR J. PENICK. KIR BY '1. PENICK.

